The present invention relates to lath and plastic building material accessories. More particularly, the present invention relates to a banding bead which allows plastic materials such as plaster to be maintained at two different levels when shaped against features of the banding bead.
Plaster, cement, and other plastic or stucco type building materials are very popular for internal and external architectural application. This material is very desirable for providing a variety of surfaces and achieving a variety of architectural designs. The versatility of the material and techniques are being used, with increasing popularity, to create architectural designs for structures ranging from commercial, to residential, to industrial.
Well known plastering or stuccoing techniques involve constructing a base structure or frame upon which lath and successive layers of plastic materials, such as plaster, are applied. For example, an underlying base structure formed of structural studs is provided and lath material is attached to these studs. The lath material may be an expanded metal product such as is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,081,814 to Singletary et al., issued Jan. 21, 1992. After the lath material is attached to the structural frame, a base of plaster material is applied to the lath. After a sufficient period of time, a "brown coat" is applied over the base coat. Later a "finish coat" is applied over the brown coat. Through practice and artistry, a craftsman employing the stuccoing techniques can achieve many types of architectural details.
One particular architectural detail is a banding structure which is desirable to break up the monotony of a planar wall. Banding may be oriented vertically or horizontally or any other direction as desired. Additionally, a curved band could be formed to achieve a nonlinear effect. Other uses for the banding feature might be, for example, to frame a commercial sign or highlight some other architectural detail.
The banding feature is achieved by forming the plaster material at two different levels over a defined band or strip along the wall or surface. For example, with reference to a planar wall, a horizontal band can be formed by building up plaster on top of, or above the main plane of the wall, so that plaster within the horizontal band area projects away from the main plane of the wall. Dimensions for such a band are commonly three-quarters to one inch above the main plane of the wall.
To achieve the banding effect, craftsmen use a lath accessory known as "casing bead". The casing bead is an accessory which includes an L-shaped rigid portion. A vertical leg of the L-shaped portion extends a desired distance away from the wall and the horizontal leg of the L-shaped portion is attached to the lath material and/or the base structure. The casing bead is attached to the base structure before applying the base coat.
Two pieces of casing bead are attached to the base structure at spaced apart positions to provide boundaries for the banding feature. Successive coats of plaster material are applied to the wall to develop a main plane of the wall. The banding area projects above the main plane of the wall. In the area in which the main plane of the wall abuts the vertical portion of the L-shaped body of the casing bead, a craftsman must employ his skill and artistry to achieve a consistent and level surface. In the area between the pieces of casing bead, a reverse bend portion of the casing bead on the topmost edge of the vertical portion of the L-shaped body is used as a screed to define a level surface therebetween.
It should be noted that at this point, that the casing bead was not primarily designed for forming a banding feature on a plaster wall. The casing bead is designed to provide a "plastered in" edge around windows, doors and other open features. Since it was not designed to help produce a banding feature, such casing bead does not provide fast and efficient construction of banding features.
As noted above, a craftsman forming a banding feature must employ considerable skill and artistry to assure that the plaster in the plane of the wall abutting the casing bead is level and consistent. However, maintaining a level surface without a screed edge requires a great deal of time and effort. Since a banding feature may extend great linear distances along a wall surface, it is important to quickly and efficiently form such a feature to minimize the costs and inconsistencies involved in the final finished structure. As such, it would be desirable to provide a banding bead which would facilitate fast and efficient forming of banding features on structures.